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"We’ve been transferring some of the team members to other projects, but we have to part ways with some."

Chris Kerr, News Editor

June 1, 2023

2 Min Read
A screenshot depicting a card battle in Gwent

CD Projekt will lay off 30 members of the Gwent: The Witcher Card Game dev team as the title is handed over to the player community.

The Polish studio had already laid out plans to end active development on the card battler after 2023, but said it will allow fans to keep supporting the title via a community-driven initiative called "Project Gwentfinity."

Breaking the news last year, the company said it wanted to leave Gwent in a state that felt self-sustaining before handing the keys over to players.

In a blog post shared last week, the company reiterated those plans and said its last official Gwent update will arrive in December 2023. With the end on the horizon, CD Projekt confirmed that "the resources and roles required behind the scenes are naturally declining," meaning that 30 members of the remaining Gwent team are doing to "part ways" with the studio.

"Throughout the year we’ve been transferring some of the team members to other projects, but we have to part ways with some," said the studio.

"It’s never easy to say goodbye. And even though decisions like this are unavoidable and a natural result of the transition, we’d like to express our sincere thanks for all the contributions these team members have made to Gwent—just like the community, you helped make the game what it is today."

A wave of layoffs is currently sweeping through the industry, with CD Projekt itself having previously cut jobs at its subsidiary, The Molasses Flood, which is currently working on a Witcher spin-off.

Those cuts were made in May, and they weren't the first. Last month, a multitude of studios also made layoffs including Firaxis, Kabam, Relic Entertainment, Deck Nine Games, Brace Yourself Games, Deviation Games, Ubisoft, Plaion, Unity, and Phoenix Labs.

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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